FORWARD 
MOVEMENTS  IN 

AFRICA 


BISHOP  JOSEPH  C.  HARTZELL 


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Forward  Movements  in 

Africa 

By  BISHOP  JOSEPH  G.  HARTZELL 


The  Quadrennial  Report  to  the  General 
Conference  of  1908 


Price,  Five  Cents 


AFRICA  DIAMOND  JUBILEE  COMMISSION 
BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 
OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
150  FIFTH  AVENUE 
NEW  YORK 


PRINTED  DECEMBER,  1908 


FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN 
AFRICA 


The  past  quadrennium  has  been,  in  several  respects,  the  most 
remarkable  in  the  history  of  our  missionary  work  in  Africa. 
From  1832,  when  Melville  B.  Cox,  our  first  foreign  missionary, 
sailed  from  Norfolk,  up  to  1884,  our  only  attempt  at  work  on 
the  continent  was  in  Liberia.  For  half  a  century  the  varying 
results  of  success  and  failure  were  such  that  thirty  years  ago  our 
Board  of  Missions  earnestly  discussed  the  proposal  to  withdraw 
from  our  work  in  that  country,  and  thus  abandon  the  continent. 
Since  then  a  new  Africa  has  appeared — vast  in  extent  and  won¬ 
derful  in  possibilities  of  wealth — a  continent  where  already  the 
diplomacy  of  Europe  has  mapped  out  colonial  empires  and 
established  governments,  under  which  the  vast  millions  of  the 
continent,  now  either  in  barbaric  heathenism,  or  under  the  blight 
of  fanatical  Mohammedanism,  are  rising  to  new  life  and  destiny. 
The  Church  did  not  abandon  Liberia,  but,  with  steady  faith  and 
purpose,  has  sought  to  follow  the  command  of  our  Divine  Lord, 
to  go  “teach  all  nations”  of  the  vast  continent. 

THE  FIELDS  WE  OCCUPY 

The  fields  we  occupy,  and  where  permanent  success  is  assured, 
aggregate  fully  half  a  million  square  miles,  and  contain  probably 
ten  millions  of  heathen,  who  will  never  have  the  gospel  of  Christ 
unless  given  to  them  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  On 
the  west  coast,  north  of  the  equator,  we  have  the  Negro  republic 
of  Liberia,  with  a  coast  line  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles, 
and  extending  far  into  the  interior,  over  which  Bishop  Isaiah 
Scott  has  jurisdiction.  South  of  Liberia  and  below  the 
equator,  in  the  Portuguese  colony  of  Angola,  our  mission  sta¬ 
tions  extend  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  coast,  those 
farthest  inland  being  on  a  plateau  six  thousand  feet  above  the 

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4 


FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 


sea.  We  are  well  established  on  the  Madeira  Islands  west  of  Gib¬ 
raltar.  Here  we  have  a  strategic  location  as  to  other  groups  of 
African  islands,  as  well  as  the  continent.  A  journey  of  more 
than  four  thousand  miles  eastward  across  the  continent,  as  peo¬ 
ple  will  travel  by  rail  in  the  near  future,  or  twice  as  far  by 
steamship  around  Cape  Agulhas,  on  the  south,  brings  us  into 
the  midst  of  our  great  field  in  Portuguese  East  Africa.  Here  is 
a  territory  extending  northward  from  the  Limpopo  River,  on 
the  south,  nearly  six  hundred  miles  to  the  Zambezi  River,  with 
its  marvelous  Victoria  Falls,  to  the  north,  and  into  the  interior 
from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  miles,  with  a  native  Negro 
population  of  over  two  and  a  half  millions.  By  an  agreement 
with  other  American  and  European  Mission  Boards,  this  vast 
field  is  left,  with  few  exceptions,  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Going  from  Beira,  on  the  east  coast,  into  the  interior 
two  hundred  miles  by  rail,  we  enter  Rhodesia,  a  British  colony 
of  six  hundred  thousand  square  miles.  By  an  agreement  with 
the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Foreign  Board  of  London,  so  far  as 
Methodism  is  concerned,  a  large  part  of  this  territory  is  left 
to  us. 

These  East  Africa  fields  are  rich  in  historic  lore.  It  is  quite 
certain  that  to  this  coast  came  the  ships  of  Solomon  and  Hiram, 
and  secured  many  millions  of  gold  with  which  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem  was  adorned.  Last,  and  of  great  significance,  we  have 
entered  North  Africa,  and  accepted  the  challenge  of  Moham¬ 
medanism  for  the  conquest  of  the  continent.  Every  center  of 
our  work  in  these  widely  separated  sections  has  a  record  of  divine 
leadership  in  its  beginnings  and  growth. 

Our  largest  opportunities,  as  to  numbers,  immediate  success, 
and  future  growth,  are  among  the  native  black  populations. 
These  number  one  hundred  millions,  chiefly  in  Central  and 
South  Africa.  Here  the  issue  is  between  barbaric  heathenism 
and  the  cross  of  Christ. 

Next  in  point  of  numbers  are  the  fifty-nine  millions  of  Mo¬ 
hammedans,  nearly  all  north  of  the  equator.  Among  these  the 
greatest  battles  are  to  be  fought  in  deciding  whether  Christ  or 
Mohammed  shall  rule  the  continent. 

Then  there  are  white  populations,  either  natives  of  Africa,  or 
who  are  migrating  to  the  continent,  and  in  some  sections  estab- 


REPORT  OF  BISHOP  HARTZELL 


5 


lishing  large  colonies.  These  number  probably  two  million  five 
hundred  thousand,  few  as  compared  with  the  black  and  brown 
races ;  but  they  represent  government  and  commerce,  and,  for  the 
Church,  protection  and  opportunity.  In  India  a  comparatively 
small  contingent  of  English  white  foreigners  gives  government, 
religious  liberty,  and  opportunity  to  four  hundred  millions.  So 
in  Africa.  In  the  providence  of  God  the  destiny  of  the  con¬ 
tinent  and  its  peoples,  except  Liberia  and  Abyssinia,  is  in  the 
hands  of  white  governments,  whose  representatives,  outside  of 
South  Africa,  are  very  few  in  numbers  compared  with  the  vast 
multitudes  they  govern. 

The  vision  of  faith  respecting  the  triumphs  of  the  gospel  in 
India  and  China  have  come  to  pass,  and  thousands  are  bowing 
at  the  cross.  That  day  is  coming  rapidly  to  Africa.  He  who, 
a  few  years  hence,  reports  to  General  Conference  the  work  of 
God  under  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  on  that  continent, 
will  tell  of  several  Annual  Conferences;  many  hundreds  of  na¬ 
tive  preachers  and  teachers;  of  colleges  equipped  and  endowed, 
and  crowded  with  those  being  trained  as  teachers  and  ministers; 
of  hospitals  and  Deaconess  Homes,  and  of  multitudes  hastening 
to  give  allegiance  to  our  Lord. 

EPISCOPAL  SUPERVISION 

With  two  resident  Bishops  in  Africa,  it  has  been  possible  to 
carefully  superintend  the  work  at  every  one  of  our  widely  sep¬ 
arated  centers.  The  Episcopal  residence  of  Bishop  Scott  is 
at  Monrovia,  the  capital  of  Liberia.  He  has  had  supervision 
of  the  work  in  that  republic  during  the  quadrennium,  and  was 
also  present  in  1906  at  the  session  of  the  West  Central  Africa 
Mission  Conference.  It  has  been  my  work  to  have  charge  of  the 
other  Conferences  on  the  west  and  east  coasts,  and  to  lead  the 
way  in  the  opening  of  our  mission  in  North  Africa  among  the 
Mohammedans. 

Bishop  Burt  was  present  at  the  sessions  of  all  the  Africa 
Conferences  in  1907,  and,  as  the  Discipline  directs,  exercised 
coordinate  authority  with  the  Missionary  Bishops  in  administra¬ 
tion.  The  Bishop’s  presence  was  a  benediction ;  his  public  minis¬ 
trations  were  instructive  and  inspiring,  and  his  counsels  timely 
and  excellent. 


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FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 


WORK  IN  MADEIRA  ISLANDS 

The  Madeira  Islands,  because  of  their  beauty  of  situation, 
and  salubrious  climate,  are  called  the  “Pearl  in  the  Portuguese 
Crown.”  Here  our  work  is  among  Portuguese  who  have  left 
or  propose  to  forsake  Romanism  for  Protestant  liberty  and 
spiritual  life.  The  center  of  our  work  is  in  Funchal,  a  city  of 
forty  thousand  people.  Over  one  thousand  two  hundred  ships 
are  in  the  harbor  each  year.  We  have  a  good  work  among  the 
sailors,  afloat  and  ashore.  In  this  we  have  the  cooperation  of 
the  British  and  Foreign  Seamen’s  Society.  Our  three  churches 
have  a  growing  membership  and  a  large  number  of  adherents. 
Two  of  our  missions  are  in  the  mountains,  with  combined  prop¬ 
erty  worth  $7,000.  In  Funchal  we  have  recently  purchased  a 
large  building,  located  in  the  heart  of  the  city  and  opposite 
the  principal  public  park,  at  a  cost  of  $21,000.  In  perfecting 
the  title  of  this  property  I  had  the  aid,  without  expense,  of  three 
prominent  men,  all  Roman  Catholics.  One  said :  “I  am  a  Cath¬ 
olic,  but  we  want  you  here.  When  left  alone  our  priests  get  too 
bad.”  Our  three  Sunday  schools  and  three  day  schools  are  well 
attended.  With  the  cooperation  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  we  have  plans  for  the  systematic  distribution  of 
the  Scriptures  throughout  the  islands.  We  have  had  four  pub¬ 
lic  burnings  of  Protestant  Bibles  within  a  year,  three  of  them 
by  Roman  Catholic  priests,  one  of  whom,  in  the  public  prints, 
thanked  God  that  he  could  do  so  holy  a  service. 

WHY  PROTESTANT  MISSIONS  WHERE  ROMANISM  IS  DOMINANT? 

There  are  those  who  ask,  “Why  Protestant  missions  where 
Roman  Catholicism  is  the  dominant  faith?”  The  answer  is 
plain.  The  Roman  Catholic  papacy  is  paganistic  in  much  of  its 
teachings  and  in  many  of  its  forms  of  worship. 

In  our  day,  grown  arrogant  by  age  and  powerful  by  world¬ 
wide  organization,  it  is  an  aggressive  conspiracy  against  civil 
and  religious  liberty  wherever  it  exists.  Wherever  its  power 
has  been  supreme  for  centuries,  we  have  the  blight  of  ignorance, 
immorality,  and  superstition  among  the  masses,  a  corrupt  and 
immoral  priesthood,  an  insidious  and  persistent  enemy  to  free 
government,  and  the  Word  of  God  is  denied  to  people  in  their 


REPORT  OF  BISHOP  HARTZELL 


7 


own  tongue,  while  the  rights  of  individual  conscience  are  forbid¬ 
den  under  pains  of  eternal  anathemas.  In  Protestant  countries, 
such  as  the  United  States  and  England,  Protestant  liberty  and 
republican  institutions  modify  the  methods  of  Rome,  but  her 
laws  and  purposes  never  change. 

In  1907  the  World’s  Evangelical  Alliance  held  its  diamond 
jubilee  in  London.  As  one  of  the  delegates  I  was  appointed  to 
speak  on  religious  liberty.  My  plea  was  that  the  time  had  fully 
come  when  all  Protestant  governments  should  unite  in  demand¬ 
ing  the  same  religious  liberty  for  Protestants  in  Roman  Catholic 
countries,  which  the  people  of  that  church  enjoy  in  Protestant 
countries.  The  response  was  instant  and  enthusiastic.  That 
sentiment,  with  an  earnest  appeal,  was  formulated  and  signed 
by  representatives  of  every  section  of  the  Protestant  world,  and 
is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  foreign  secretaries  of  all  Protestant 
governments. 

THE  WORK  IN  WEST  AFRICA,  SOUTH  OF  THE  EQUATOR 

Our  mission  fields  in  West  Africa,  south  of  the  equator,  are 
included  in  the  West  Central  Africa  Mission  Conference.  The 
difficulties  of  missionary  work  here  are  many  and  serious.  Be¬ 
ing  under  the  Portuguese  flag,  all  religions,  except  the  Roman 
Catholic,  are  legally  classed  as  "tolerated  religions.”  The  Gov¬ 
ernment  officials  are  often  inefficient  and  vicious  in  the  treat¬ 
ment  of  the  natives  as  to  lands,  labor,  and  protection;  there  is 
Jesuitical  interference,  under  laws  framed  to  prevent  Protestant 
work ;  and  the  sleeping  sickness,  that  appalling  menace  to  popu¬ 
lation  in  many  parts  of  the  continent,  threatens  the  destruction 
of  the  people  in  large  areas.  Only  recently  have  we  succeeded 
in  securing  the  proper  registration  of  births  and  marriages 
among  our  people,  and  legal  recognition  for  our  school  work. 
Still  there  has  been  a  steady  advance.  Native  workers  have 
been  raised  up,  and,  besides  maintaining  our  several  central 
stations,  new  places  have  each  year  been  occupied  among  the 
heathen.  Our  Sunday  and  day  schools  grow  in  numbers  and 
attendance.  The  total  amount  of  property  is  valued  at  $64,500, 
being  an  increase  for  the  quadrennium  of  $29,500.  There  have 
been  many  genuine  and  well  attested  conversions  among  the 
natives.  The  work  has  steadily  grown  in  favor  among  the 


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FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 


Portuguese,  and  some  of  their  number  have  accepted  Christ. 
Recently  a  systematic  evangelistic  campaign  has  been  inaugu¬ 
rated,  and  already  gracious  results  are  reported.  In  the  interior, 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  from  the  coast,  we  have  a 
mission  press  valued  at  $2,500.  The  Kimbundu  language  of 
this  section  is  one  of  the  best  in  Africa,  and  capable  of  express¬ 
ing  the  finest  shades  of  thought.  Years  ago  our  missionaries 
reduced  the  language  to  writing,  and  a  large  amount  of  litera¬ 
ture  has  already  been  published.  So  well  pleased  was  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society  with  the  work  of  our  superintendent  of 
the  press  that  they  asked  the  privilege  of  supporting  him  for 
two  years  and  a  half,  that  he  might  complete  the  translation 
of  the  New  Testament.  When  finished  it  will  be  printed  by  that 
Society. 

God  led  Bishop  Taylor  into  Angola  with  his  band  of  mission¬ 
aries,  and  no  foreign  fields  show  a  record  of  more  heroic  and 
self-sacrificing  service.  With  reinforcement  in  workers,  and 
better  equipment  of  our  central  stations,  rapid  enlargement  is 
certain  to  come  in  the  near  future  in  the  fields  we  occupy,  and 
a  great  advance  through  the  wide-open  doors,  among  multitudes 
of  heathen  in  the  regions  beyond. 

THE  WORK  IN  EAST  AFRICA 

The  work  in  Portuguese  East  Africa  and  Rhodesia  is  included 
in  the  East  Central  Africa  Mission  Conference.  Ten  years 
ago  in  this  part  of  the  continent  we  had  but  one  missionary 
and  a  few  native  workers,  and  no  property  in  lands  or  buildings. 
But  the  day  of  great  things  has  begun.  It  is  impossible,  for 
lack  of  sufficient  missionaries  and  native  workers,  even  to  take 
care  of  the  many  who  are  coming  to  us  and  accepting  Christ  in 
the  centers  we  occupy,  to  say  nothing  of  the  scores  of  openings 
in  places  where  there  are  from  ten  thousand  to  thirty  thousand 
native  heathen,  where  the  gospel  has  not  been  preached,  and 
who  call  us  to  give  them  the  word  of  life.  Four  years  ago  the 
membership  was  four  hundred  and  fifty-seven;  now  it  is  two 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-two,  an  increase  of  over 
fivefold.  In  four  years  our  Sunday  schools  have  grown  from 
twelve  to  fifty-three,  and  the  attendance  from  five  hundred  and 
fifty-four  to  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-three. 


REPORT  OF  BISHOP  HARTZELL 


9 


Fifty-four  new  day  schools  have  been  opened,  with  an  increased 
attendance  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty.  There 
are  fifty-one  churches,  an  increase  of  thirty-nine;  and  the  total 
valuation  of  church  property  is  $147,555,  which  is  a  large  in¬ 
crease  during  the  past  four  years.  Twenty-eight  thousand  dol¬ 
lars  have  been  raised  for  self-support,  and  the  number  of  our 
native  workers  has  grown  from  sixteen  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two.  This  phenomenal  advance  seems  just  begun.  In 
a  single  circuit  northward  toward  the  Zambezi  River  there  has 
been  an  additional  increase  of  nearly  one  thousand  pupils  in  the 
day  and  Sunday  schools  since  the  last  Conference,  which  met  six 
months  ago.  The  day  of  pentecostal  power  has  come  to  our 
east  Africa  fields,  and  to  God  be  the  glory.  If  half  a  dozen 
efficient  workers  could  be  added  to  our  force  in  this  Confer¬ 
ence,  the  coming  quadrennium  would  see  many  more  thousands 
brought  to  Christ  than  would  be  otherwise  possible. 

INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING 

Industrial  training  is  an  important  factor  of  our  work  in 
Africa  among  the  native  races.  Everywhere  it  is  sought  to 
prepare  them  for  the  largest  usefulness,  by  not  only  giving 
them  moral  character  and  such  education  as  they  may  acquire, 
but  by  teaching  them  the  dignity  of  labor  and  giving  practical 
instruction  in  farming,  mechanics,  and  domestic  service.  The 
results  already  achieved  have  been  very  remarkable.  Our  largest 
industrial  center  is  at  Old  Umtali.  We  have  a  farm  of  three 
thousand  acres  and  several  buildings,  which,  with  the  equip¬ 
ments  in  farm  and  mechanical  implements  and  stock,  is  worth 
fully  $75,000.  We  have  here  one  hundred  and  twenty  boys, 
and,  under  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  over  fifty 
girls.  Half  the  day  is  given  to  the  school  and  the  other  half 
to  various  forms  of  industrial  work,  in  the  home,  on  the  farm, 
or  in  the  shops.  The  widespread  and  blessed  influences  which 
have  already  gone  out  from  this  center  on  industrial  lines  dur¬ 
ing  the  few  years  since  the  work  was  begun  have  been  remark¬ 
able.  Wherever  our  native  stations  have  been  established  the 
same  methods  are  carried  out  by  the  native  leaders,  whom  we 
have  trained,  and  the  improvement  is  wonderful  in  the  methods 
of  gardening  and  farming  and  of  building  homes. 


FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 


1© 


WORK  AMONG  THE  WHITE  PEOPLE 

In  Rhodesia  we  have  a  well  organized  and  successful  work 
among  the  white  people.  Methodism  everywhere  the  world  over 
extends  the  benefits  of  its  ministrations  to  people  of  different 
languages  and  races.  The  cooperation  of  the  Rhodesian  govern¬ 
ment  has  been  cordial  and  helpful.  It  has  made  large  con¬ 
cessions  in  lands  and  given  us  the  buildings  of  the  Old  Umtali 
Industrial  Mission.  On  the  principal  street  of  Umtali  we  have 
a  beautiful  brick  church,  well  furnished,  the  property  being 
worth  $25,000.  Ten  miles  away,  in  a  great  mining  center,  we 
also  have  a  well-furnished  brick  church,  costing  $5,000,  and  we 
are  about  to  build  a  good  parsonage.  Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie 
gave  us  half  the  cost  of  our  church  organ.  My  prayer  is  that 
that  little  rivulet  may  enlarge  into  a  mountain  stream  of  gifts 
for  foreign  missions  from  the  same  source.  At  the  request 
and  with  the  assistance  of  the  government  we  secured  a  large 
building  and  lots  for  our  school  among  the  white  people.  This 
property,  with  added  equipment,  is  w'orth  $25,000.  As  is  the 
custom  in  British  colonies,  annual  grants  in  aid  are  made,  and 
these,  with  the  tuition  paid  by  the  pupils,  have  made  the  school 
nearly  self-supporting. 

The  relations  of  our  work  in  Rhodesia  among  the  white  and 
native  black  peoples  is  illustrated  at  Penhalonga.  Four  years 
ago  we  had  only  occasional  services.  Now  we  have  the  beauti¬ 
ful  $5,000  church  opened  for  the  whites,  and  two  good  churches 
and  parsonages  for  the  natives  worth  $2,500.  One  of  the  hap¬ 
piest  days  spent  in  Africa  by  Bishop  Burt  and  myself  was  the 
Sunday  on  which  we  dedicated  these  three  houses  of  worship. 
The  day  was  perfect,  the  mountain  air  bracing,  the  audiences 
large,  and  the  people  happy.  Now  we  have  the  three  churches 
and  Sunday  school  in  that  important  center,  and  two  native 
day  schools.  The  pastor  of  the  white  church  is  supported  by 
the  people  and  will  also  superintend  the  work  of  the  native 
churches. 

PRINTING  PRESSES 

At  Inhambane  we  have  a  printing  house  and  equipment  valued 
at  $5,000,  where,  during  the  quadrennium,  fully  six  hundred 
thousand  pages  of  Christian  literature  have  been  published. 


REPORT  OF  BISHOP  HARTZELL 


11 


nearly  all  in  native  languages.  We  also  publish  two  papers,  one 
in  English,  for  use  in  America,  and  in  another  two  native  lan¬ 
guages  are  represented.  Besides  this  we  have  had  printed  in 
America  a  large  edition  of  a  hymn  and  tune  book  in  one  native 
language,  and  a  dictionary  in  another.  A  few  years  ago,  in  this 
same  mission,  an  edition  of  the  New  Testament  was  translated 
into  two  native  tongues  and  published  by  the  American  Bible 
Society.  The  manuscript  for  the  entire  Old  Testament  is  now 
ready  for  the  press.  The  Conference  in  Sweden  has  given  two 
trained  young  men  for  this  work,  and  provides  for  their  support. 
Besides  this  five  European  Conferences  are  supporting  native 
stations  in  Africa.  Thus  our  Methodism  in  Europe  unites  in 
saving  that  continent. 

In  Rhodesia  another  printing  press  has  recently  been  installed, 
and  already  has  begun  its  beneficent  work.  In  the  very  near 
future,  from  our  printing  presses  in  Angola,  Inhambane,  and 
Rhodesia,  in  East  and  West  Africa,  there  will  go  annually  mil¬ 
lions  of  pages  of  religious  literature,  printed  in  several  lan¬ 
guages.  Some  of  the  marvelous  things  in  the  awakening  of  the 
races  of  that  continent  are  the  hunger  for  learning,  the  rapidity 
with  which  they  learn  to  read  and  write,  and  the  clamor  for 
books,  especially  for  the  Word  of  God,  for  which  they  gladly 
pay.  In  Johannesburg  alone  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  sold  in 
sixty  different  native  African  languages. 

WORK  OF  THE  WOMAN’S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 

The  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  pressed  with  its 
vast  and  growing  work  in  other  fields,  has  not  been  able  to  do 
all  that  it  desired  in  Africa.  But  beginnings  have  been  made 
and  plans  for  enlarged  work  are  being  considered.  In  Rho¬ 
desia  they  have  property  worth  $6,500,  and  a  girls’  school  which 
numbers  over  fifty.  In  Angola  they  have  property  consisting 
of  thirty-five  acres  of  land,  with  good  buildings  worth  $4,000, 
and  a  well-attended  girls’  school.  Appeals  are  being  made  for  a 
teacher  and  money  to  open  work  at  Saint  Paul  de  Loanda,  where 
a  fine  location  of  several  acres  in  the  city  has  already  been  pro¬ 
vided.  Everywhere  the  lawT  is  the  same.  There  can  be  perma¬ 
nent  success  in  the  work  of  God  in  any  land  only  in  proportion 
as  woman  is  given  the  gospel. 


12 


FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 


STATISTICS  FOR  THE  QUADRENNIUM 

The  following  are  the  principal  summaries  of  the  work  for 
the  quadrennium  on  the  continent.  They  indicate  a  remarkable 
advance.  There  has  been  an  increase  in  church  membership 
of  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-four,  making  a 
total  of  seven  thousand  three  hundred  and  forty-eight.  The 
number  of  churches  is  one  hundred  and  nine,  being  an  increase 
of  forty-six,  while  the  value  of  church  property  is  over  $350,000, 
being  an  increase  of  more  than  $100,000.  The  number  of  Sun¬ 
day  schools  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven,  an  increase  of 
fifty-five,  with  an  attendance  of  seven  thousand  three  hundred 
and  sixteen,  while  the  day  schools  number  ninety-one,  being 
an  increase  of  fifty-six,  with  an  attendance  of  four  thousand 
three  hundred  and  sixty.  Great  advance  has  been  made  in  the 
matter  of  self-help,  the  attempt  being  everywhere  made  to  have 
indigenous  resources  developed.  The  past  four  years  our  peo¬ 
ple  in  Africa  have  raised  $63,273  for  the  support  of  the  work. 
It  has  been  a  part  of  the  policy  to  secure  lands  in  strategic, 
healthful  centers.  This  has  been  especially  true  of  the  new 
work  in  East  Africa,  where  we  now  have  fully  twenty  thousand 
acres  of  land  scattered  in  widely  separated  centers. 

THREE-QUARTER  CENTENNIAL  JUBILEE 

It  is  now  seventy-five  years  since  the  beginning  of  our  work 
in  Africa,  and  it  is  proposed  to  celebrate  this  event  by  holding 
a  three-quarter  centennial  jubilee  and  asking  the  Church  for 
at  least  $300,000.  This  is  to  be  a  thank-offering  in  recognition 
of  the  marvelous  preparation  of  the  whole  continent  for  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  in  recent  years,  and  of  the  success  which  our 
missions  have  already  achieved,  and  especially  of  the  fact  that 
the  responsibility  of  the  Church  to  the  continent  cannot  be  met 
without  a  large  increase  in  financial  resources.  By  the  joint 
action  of  the  General  Missionary  Committee  and  the  Board  of 
Managers  the  year  1909  has  been  set  apart  for  this  important 
celebration,  and  the  Church  is  asked  to  do  for  Africa  what  it 
has  done  for  India  and  China,  and  thus  make  it  possible  for  us, 
in  part  at  least,  to  meet  the  vast  responsibilities  before  us. 


REPORT  OF  BISHOP  HARTZELL 


13 


THE  CALL  TO  NORTH  AFRICA 

The  most  remarkable  event  in  the  quadrennium  has  been  the 
call  of  the  Methodist  Church  to  mission  work  among  the  Mo¬ 
hammedans  in  North  Africa.  The  succession  of  providential 
steps  leading  to  this  has  been  remarkable.  My  wife  and  I 
were  made  the  guests  of  the  World’s  Sunday  School  Convention, 
which  met  at  Rome  in  May,  1907.  There  were  more  than  one 
thousand  delegates.  Of  these,  over  five  hundred  were  from 
America,  among  whom  were  nearly  one  hundred  Methodists. 
It  was  a  great  missionary  convention,  having  for  its  motto, 
“The  Sunday  School  and  the  Great  Commission.”  The  stories 
of  mission  work  from  many  lands  thrilled  the  great  audiences 
which  packed  the  auditorium  of  our  own  magnificent  building, 
which  stands  on  the  very  street  where  Garibaldi,  thirty  years 
ago,  passed  with  his  army  to  make  Rome  the  capital  of  united 
Italy.  It  had  been  planned  that  the  ships  bearing  the  delegates 
from  America  should  stop  a  few  hours  at  Gibraltar  and  Algiers, 
and  it  had  also  been  previously  arranged  that  there  should  be 
held  a  union  meeting  of  the  missionaries  and  Christian  workers 
at  each  place,  to  meet  as  many  delegates  as  desired  to  attend. 
At  Algiers,  on  the  eighth  of  May,  these  Christian  tourists  were 
brought  face  to  face,  most  of  them  for  the  first  time,  with  the 
degradation  and  fanaticism  incident  to  Mohammedan  countries. 
They  mingled  their  prayers  and  tears  with  the  few  faithful  and 
heroic  workers  who  were  cheerfully  giving  their  lives  in  mission 
work  under  most  trying  conditions.  Many  who  had  never  been 
especially  drawn  to  foreign  missions  were  profoundly  moved, 
and  wider  visions  and  definite  calls  to  duty  came  to  them.  In 
the  evening,  after  leaving  Algiers,  a  meeting  was  held  on  the 
steamer  Romanic.  The  great  saloon  was  crowded  with  earnest 
Christians  representing  different  denominations.  The  scenes  of 
the  day,  intensified  by  subsequent  conversations,  inspired  all 
and  made  the  assembly  one  of  true  Christian  unity.  One  of 
the  speakers,  Mrs.  Hartzell,  who  had  spent  two  months  in 
Algiers  studying  mission  work,  emphasized  the  call  of  God  for 
an  organized  Church  in  North  Africa.  But  which  section  of 
the  Church  should  lead  the  way?  Finally,  at  Rome,  after 
further  days  of  prayerful  consultations,  leading  members  of 


14 


FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 


all  the  other  churches  united  in  the  conviction  that  the  Metho¬ 
dist  Episcopal  Church  ought  to  enter  that  field  at  once.  Being 
appealed  to,  I  said  it  would  require  at  least  $25,000  a  year  for 
five  years  as  a  beginning,  and  that  our  Mission  Board  could  not 
assume  any  additional  responsibility  with  the  overwhelming 
needs  of  its  many  fields,  and  that  if  the  money  was  provided, 
I  could  give  no  final  answer  without  the  approval  of  the  General 
Missionary  Committee.  Several  meetings  were  held,  and  God 
was  present  in  gracious  power.  Amid  evidence  of  profound 
conviction  $50,000,  to  be  paid  in  five  annual  installments,  was 
subscribed  and  plans  inaugurated  to  insure  the  raising  of  the 
full  $125,000. 

The  General  Missionary  Committee,  at  its  meeting  held  at 
Seattle,  November,  1907,  approved  the  opening  of  the  mission, 
without  making  an  appropriation.  Already  the  work  has  begun, 
and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  planted  its  standard 
before  the  ramparts  of  the  Mohammedan  strongholds  in  North 
Africa,  where  for  twelve  centuries  they  have  stood  defying  the 
followers  of  Christ.  After  visiting  several  of  the  European 
Conferences  with  Bishop  Burt  in  the  interests  of  missions,  and 
before  returning  to  East  and  South  Africa,  I  visited  several  of 
the  principal  cities  along  the  Mediterranean,  including  Tunis, 
Constantine,  and  Algiers.  The  visit  served  to  make  still  more 
clear  and  positive  the  conviction  that  God  was  leading.  Return¬ 
ing  to  Paris,  an  interview  with  the  Prime  Minister  of  France 
was  arranged  by  our  American  Ambassador,  Mr.  Henry  White. 
I  was  received  very  cordially  and,  far  beyond  the  accustomed 
time  for  such  interviews,  was  asked  to  remain,  and  questions  re¬ 
lating  to  the  separation  of  state  and  church,  religious  liberty, 
and  the  importance  of  Protestant  churches  and  missions  to 
France  and  her  colonies  were  discussed.  I  was  assured  by  the 
Prime  Minister  that  our  work  in  North  Africa,  under  the  French 
flag,  should  enjoy  liberty  and  protection,  and  that  he  desired  to 
be  informed  as  to  the  progress  of  our  work. 

Germany  gives  the  first  missionary  to  our  Mohammedan  field. 
He  was  raised  in  a  Methodist  parsonage,  is  a  genius  in  lan¬ 
guages,  trained  in  the  Strasburg  University,  and  has  conse¬ 
crated  his  life  to  giving  Christian  literature  to  the  followers  of 
Mohammed.  Our  two  Germany  Conferences  give  the  money 


REPORT  OF  BISHOP  HARTZELL 


15 


to  found  a  mission  press  in  Algiers,  where  we  shall  soon  be  pub¬ 
lishing  tracts  and  books  in  the  Arabic,  native  Kabyle,  and  other 
languages. 

Drew  Theological  Seminary  gives  the  second  man,  who  is  now 
teaching  among  the  Mohammedans  at  Ramallah  near  J erusalem. 
In  Algiers  two  experienced  and  successful  missionaries  have  been 
accepted,  and  they  bring  with  them  a  well-organized  work 
among  women  and  girls.  They  have  two  hundred  and  fifty 
under  their  care,  of  whom  seventy-five  girls  and  thirty-one 
women  are  from  Mohammedan  homes.  At  the  great  capital 
of  Tunisia,  in  the  suburbs  of  which  are  the  ruins  of  old  Carthage, 
we  have  already  three  missionaries  at  work,  who  also  have  the 
Arabic  and  native  languages  and  years  of  experience.  We  have 
rented  a  good  house  in  the  heart  of  the  city  as  headquarters. 
In  Tripoli,  next  to  Egypt,  the  way  is  opened  for  us,  and  in 
Morocco,  far  to  the  west  touching  the  Atlantic,  the  doors  are 
wide  open.  Surely  our  going  into  North  Africa  is  of  the  Lord. 

NORTH  AFRICA  AS  A  MISSION  FIELD 

Few  countries  in  the  world  are  more  remarkable  for  memor¬ 
able  events  in  history  or  in  ruins  of  ancient  civilizations  than 
North  Africa,  even  if  we  do  not  include  Egypt.  During  the 
six  hundred  years  of  Roman  rule  that  section  of  the  continent 
reached  its  greatest  prosperity.  Scores  of  cities  were  built,  some 
of  them  great  in  population,  wealth,  and  commerce;  and  the 
agricultural  resources  were  very  great.  The  climate  is  among 
the  finest  in  the  world,  and  North  Africa  was  a  source  of  Rome’s 
greatest  wealth.  There  are  partially  unearthed  ruins  at  Car¬ 
thage  and  many  other  cities,  where  there  were  palaces,  amphi¬ 
theaters,  triumphal  arches,  baths,  temples,  many  of  them  equal 
to  similar  structures  in  the  imperial  city  itself. 

The  aborigines  were  the  Berbers,  or  barbarians  of  history. 
Their  descendants  are  still  the  largest  part  of  the  population, 
and  number  from  twelve  millions  to  fifteen  millions.  They 
are  light  brown  in  color,  with  shadings  to  black  as  they  have 
mixed  with  the  Negroes  from  the  south,  or  to  almost  white  as 
they  have  mixed  with  races  of  a  lighter  color  from  Europe. 
Twelve  hundred  years  before  Christ  they  had  a  fair  civilization. 
They  are  an  agricultural  people,  brave,  and  loving  their  homes. 


16 


FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 


They  helped  the  Romans  conquer  the  Phoenicians,  and  in  suc¬ 
ceeding  centuries,  when  oppressed  by  their  rulers,  aided  in  their 
overthrow.  They  have  been  vanquished,  but  never  conquered, 
and  they  are  the  chief  hope  of  North  Africa,  provided  they  can 
be  reached  by  the  gospel  of  Christ.  They  are  Mohammedan, 
but  are  accessible.  Their  ancestors  were  Christians,  and  they 
still  have  legends  among  them  of  the  cross  of  Christ  and  its 
power  to  save. 

CHRISTIAN  CHURCH  IN  NORTH  AFRICA 

Christianity  entered  North  Africa  soon  after  Pentecost,  and 
spread  rapidly  among  the  Berbers  and  other  natives.  Within 
a  hundred  years  of  the  death  of  Saint  John  the  evangelist, 
with  Carthage  as  the  center,  half  the  people  in  the  cities  were 
Christian.  In  the  fourth  century  there  were  five  hundred  and 
eighty  sees  with  their  Bishops.  In  the  first  four  centuries  after 
the  apostles,  of  twenty  great  names  in  the  history  of  Chris¬ 
tianity,  more  than  half  came  from  North  Africa.  The  first 
foreign  missionaries  after  the  apostles  were  from  Africa.  One 
of  them,  Pantsenus,  founder  of  a  Christian  school,  went  to  India 
to  preach  the  gospel,  so  that  the  first  missionary  to  India  was 
from  Africa.  For  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  North  Africa 
led  Latin  Christianity,  and  in  the  work  of  evangelization  trans¬ 
lated  the  Scriptures  for  the  first  time  into  a  Western  tongue. 
That  Latin  Bible  was  the  foundation  of  the  Vulgate  and  came 
to  be  the  common  version  of  Western  Christianity.  The  indebt¬ 
edness  of  the  Christian  world  to  the  North  African  Church  is 
beyond  estimation.  One  half  of  the  Antenicene  library  was 
African  in  origin.  For  fifty  years  it  grew,  and  during  those 
centuries  several  of  the  most  important  questions  of  doctrine 
were  settled  under  the  leadership  of  African  scholars.  After 
Rome  had  overwhelmed  the  armies  of  Hannibal  and  conquered 
Carthage  it  received  its  laws  from  Africa.  In  the  latter  part  of 
the  second  century  Tertullian,  the  first  great  name  in  Western 
Christianity,  flourished.  “The  blood  of  martyrs  is  the  seed  of 
the  Church,”  is  a  paraphrase  of  his  sublime  words  in  bidding 
defiance  to  the  rulers  who  were  persecuting  Christians.  Then 
came  Cyprian,  who  also  gave  his  life  as  a  martyr.  After  him 
Arnobius,  and  later  Augustine,  whose  thought  next  to  Paul  has 


REPORT  OF  BISHOP  HARTZELL 


17 


dominated  Christian  thought  and  doctrine.  Over  the  portals  of 
Trinity  Church,  Boston,  are  carved,  after  the  names  of  the  four 
evangelists,  those  of  Paul  and  Augustine.  The  third  stone  in  the 
series  remains  uncut.  There  is  no  man  yet  who  has  wielded  so 
wide  a  scepter,  both  intellectual  and  ecclesiastical,  as  Augustine. 

THE  SWORD  OF  MOHAMMED 

In  the  middle  of  the  seventh  century  the  armies  of  Mohammed 
entered  North  Africa,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  Berbers,  who  felt 
the  oppression  of  Roman  rule,  began  the  work  of  subjugation. 
The  first  victory  was  the  wiping  out  of  an  army  of  one  hundred 
thousand  men,  after  which  the  rule  of  Islam  under  the  Arabs 
began.  Army  after  army  of  Moslem  soldiers  from  western 
Asia  and  Egypt  carried  death  and  destruction  along  the  Medi¬ 
terranean  “like  a  desert  simoon,  fierce,  irresistible,  impetuous, 
destructive.”  When  they  had  passed  Gibraltar  and  reached  the 
Atlantic,  Akbar,  the  Moslem  leader,  rode  into  the  water  and 
said:  “Great  God,  if  I  were  not  stopped  by  this  raging  sea,  I 
would  go  on  to  the  nations  of  the  West  and  preach  the  unity  of 
thy  name  and  put  to  the  sword  those  who  would  not  submit.” 
Following  the  sword  was  the  missionary.  It  took  two  hundred 
years  to  conquer  the  Barbary  States  in  matters  of  doctrine  and 
eight  hundred  years  to  completely  displace  Christianity.  The 
North  African  Christian  Church  was  wiped  out,  except  a  few 
hundred  thousand  Copts  in  Egypt  and  the  Church  among  the 
heroic  mountaineers  in  Abyssinia.  The  lost  ground  has  never 
been  regained.  During  all  of  these  centuries  that  beautiful  land 
has  felt  the  withering  curse  of  a  religion  that  knows  no  Christ, 
and  makes  salvation  depend  upon  the  belief  in  a  God  who  knows 
no  love,  daily  prayer,  giving  of  alms,  keeping  the  fast,  and  mak¬ 
ing  pilgrimages — a  religion  which  degrades  womanhood,  makes 
the  execution  of  laws  and  government  impossible,  and  permits 
its  followers  to  practice  every  crime  known  to  humanity  without 
compunctions  of  conscience. 

But  the  day  of  redemption  has  come.  The  world  has  lost  its 
patience  over  the  barbarisms  of  Mohammedan  rule.  The  sword 
has  been  taken  from  the  Mohammedan  grip,  and  to-day  three 
fourths  of  the  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  millions  of 
that  faith  throughout  the  world  are  under  Christian  flags. 


18 


FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 


Among  the  followers  of  Mohammed  there  is  a  wonderful  awaken¬ 
ing,  and  the  leaders  are  alarmed.  In  different  parts  of  the 
world  there  are  many  converts  to  Christianity.  The  Christian 
Church  has  come  to  understand  that  the  one  world-wide  and 
aggressive  power  opposed  to  Christ  is  Mohammedanism.  Two 
years  ago  there  met  at  Cairo  a  conference  of  missionary  workers 
among  Mohammedans,  where  this  momentous  fact  was  discussed. 
Cairo  is  the  intellectual  center,  while  Constantinople  is  the 
political  center  of  the  Mohammedan  world.  The  greatest 
Moslem  university,  with  ten  thousand  students,  is  in  Cairo.  The 
discussions  of  that  convention  have  been  published  and  should 
have  wide  circulation. 

METHODISM  AND  NORTH  AFRICA 

Methodism  is  the  only  great  Church  that  has  not  made  a 
frontal  attack  upon  Mohammedan  strongholds.  This  opening 
in  North  Africa  is  her  opportunity,  and  is  the  call  of  God.  West 
of  Egypt  for  more  than  two  thousand  miles  to  Gibraltar,  there 
is  no  fully  organized  church  work.  Raymond  Lull,  the  first 
missionary  to  go  to  North  Africa,  was  stoned  to  death  in  the 
city  of  Tunis  in  1315.  Nearly  six  hundred  years  passed  before 
another  missionary  was  sent  by  the  Christian  Church.  Begin¬ 
ning  with  twenty-one  years  ago,  there  have  been  a  few,  either 
independent  missionaries,  or  under  undenominational  societies, 
who  have  been  doing  excellent  work  as  pioneers,  but  that  vast 
field  has  scarcely  been  touched,  and  has  been  waiting  for  the 
incoming  of  some  great  branch  of  the  organized  Church. 
Algiers,  where  the  mission  will  have  its  headquarters,  is  a  city 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  and  the  capital  of  Algeria, 
which  is  an  organic  part  of  the  republic  of  France.  France, 
thank  God,  has  discarded  the  rule  of  Jesuitism  and  stands  for 
religious  liberty.  Morocco  will  soon  be  under  the  rule  of  law 
and  order,  and  probably  will  also  come  under  the  French  flag. 
Tripoli  is  a  French  regency,  and  old  Egypt,  under  the  British 
flag,  is  rising  from  the  depths  of  its  poverty  and  ignorance  and 
Mohammedan  fanaticism,  to  be  a  great  nation  where  religious 
liberty  will  abide.  For  the  first  time  in  twelve  hundred  years 
religious  liberty  and  protection  are  guaranteed,  and  the  doors 


REPORT  OF  BISHOP  HARTZELL 


19 


are  opened,  or  soon  will  be,  in  that  vast  region  where  more  than 
twenty  millions  of  people  dwell  who  know  not  Christ. 

Africa's  day  has  come 

Africa's  day  has  long  been  delayed,  but  it  has  come  at  last. 
The  silent  and  mysterious  Sphinx  of  Egypt  is  no  longer  the 
symbol  of  Africa.  For  long  millenniums  the  whole  continent, 
except  a  little  part  along  the  Mediterranean,  some  fringes  along 
the  coasts  and  in  extreme  South  Africa,  was  veiled  in  mystery. 
But  that  veil  has  been  lifted.  Not  simply  has  a  nation  been 
born  in  a  day  but  a  continent!  The  explorer  has  traversed 
nearly  every  part  of  her  vast  domain ;  modern  science  is  master¬ 
ing  its  tropical  diseases,  developing  its  agriculture,  making  the 
mines  of  gold  and  other  minerals  of  untold  value.  Diplomacy 
has  parceled  out  the  continent,  and  everywhere  there  will  soon 
be  protection  and  opportunity  for  all  races ;  hundreds  of  steam¬ 
ships  belt  its  coasts  and  float  on  its  lakes  and  rivers,  taking  to 
the  continent  hundreds  of  thousands  of  tons  of  merchandise, 
and,  in  turn,  bringing  away  the  products  of  African  fields  and 
forests  and  mines  and  mechanical  ingenuity.  The  barbaric  and 
Mohammedan  millions  of  Africa  are  sharing  in  the  world-wide 
awakening  that  has  come  to  all  people.  They  are  anxiously 
waiting  for  something  better.  They  may  not  know  what  it  is, 
but  they  do  know  it  is  in  the  possession  of  nations  outside  them¬ 
selves,  and  we  know  that  civilizations  are  never  indigenous. 
The  heathen  of  the  world  will  never  have  Christ  unless  taken 
to  them  by  the  missionaries  of  the  cross. 

WHAT  SHALL  THE  ANSWER  BE? 

What  shall  be  the  answer  of  the  Church  to  this  call  of  God? 
During  twelve  years  I  have  gone  around  and  across  that  conti¬ 
nent  and  have  grown  larger  and  better  in  my  understandings  of 
God’s  providence  as  I  have  witnessed  the  development  of  rail¬ 
roads  and  mines  and  agriculture,  the  building  of  cities,  and  the 
organization  of  hundreds  of  companies  for  exploiting  the  riches 
of  vast  areas.  I  have  met  many  men  who  in  the  interests  of 
secular  things  could  command  millions  for  any  scheme  which 
promised  a  fair  profit.  The  only  thing  in  all  the  continent  of 


20 


FORWARD  MOVEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 


Africa  which  seems  to  fail  in  realizing  the  call  of  God  is  the 
Christian  Church.  But  that  day  will  pass.  The  problems  of 
Africa  are  coming  to  be  better  known,  and  the  Christian  Church 
will  rise  to  its  duty. 

Near  Khartoum,  on  the  Nile,  there  is  a  monument  to  Gordon. 
He  sits  on  a  camel,  dressed  in  the  garb  of  a  Soudanese,  and  is 
looking  with  steady  gaze  toward  the  heart  of  the  continent.  A 
traveler  was  studying  the  monument,  and  asked  a  resident  why 
they  had  not  placed  it  in  the  city,  and  why  his  face  was  toward 
the  desert.  The  reply  was  that  the  purpose  had  been  to  give 
expression  to  the  longing  faith  of  that  man  of  God  for  the 
salvation  not  only  of  the  Soudan  but  of  all  Africa.  So  to-day 
my  plea  is  that  the  Church  of  God  may  turn  its  face,  as  never 
before,  toward  that  continent,  and,  hearing  the  command  of  our 
Divine  Master,  plan  largely  and  wisely  for  the  redemption  of  its 
millions. 


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